Relief-valve for hot-water heating systems.



110.895,436; y TATENTED AUG. 11, 1903;;

A. G. GRIPPS.

EELIEE VALVE EUR HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEMS.

v--Mk Y APPLIoATIoN NEED 1113,20, 190s'.

l a sHEETs-sHzET 1.

WITN ESEE s www, M

RELIEP VALVE POR A. G.oR1PPs. ,Y

H91 WATER HEATING SYSTEMS.A

PATENTBD AUG. A11, 190s.

APPLIGATIOSPILBD PEB. 2.0, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

i WITNEQQE@ mvmmro PATBNTED .AU-G. 11, 1908.-

3 SHEETS-snif a.

INVE'IYQR Anonu.\

- A. G. GRIPPS. RELIEF VALVE FOR HOT WATER HEATING SYSTEMS. APPLuuTIoN rILED rmzo, ma.

WITNESSEB @Lw/Magi!" 40 corporated. This view is UNITED ALrnEn c. cru-Pre, or AKRON, .ornofxk Runter-verve Fon. Hor-WATER rrsAT'ING svsinnnrs.

Specification oi Letters Patent. i I

Patented Aug. 11, reca.

Appunti@ sled rem-wy so, 190s. seran No. 418,901.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, Aussen G. CRIPPS, s. citizen of' the United States, residing at Akron7 in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful 11nprovements in Relief-Valves for llot-W'atfer -Heating Systems, of which the. following is a specification.

This invention r lates to relief-valves used 1o in connection with hot Water heatingsystems. l

The ob'ect of'this invention is to produce a device o .the class described designed to maintain a substantially constant pressure '15 on the Water in the system by opposing to its e508 6.01' CXRBDSlOD B mBI'Glll'j GQ11111111.

T e mventlon contemplates constructing a. device with an expansion heed to which is secured a 'bowl for a mercury beth, the inte- 2o riors of the two being connected by a single tube throuqh lWhich the mercury must be forced for s `ording relief from pressure in the hot water system.

Other advantages constituting objects o f v this invention will more fully sppesr in the "subjoined description.

In the dravvings, in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the diiierent figures: Figure 1 is a view 1n vertical central section of my improved relief-valve with 4pipes for connecting it with e. hot water system.. Fig. 2 is a vlew in side elevation of a. modification of the device shown in Fie. 1 in .association with an expansion tank an pipe connections forv communicating with the hot water system with which the seme is used.. Fig. 3 is a viewin vertical section through a house showin; 'two hot water heating systems with which my invention has been inlsrgely diagram- A matic, as will op eer, snd Fig. 4 is a vertical, central, sections view of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, v1 is the bowl of my improved relief-valve having an enlarged lower portion 2 and a contracted portion 3 terminating in a top provided with an interiori -thresded o .ening 4. The. bottom of the wl 1 is iurt er provided with n threaded opening closed by means of o plug 5 having in its inner en s. rece` The bowl 1 is further provided with a laterally-projecting boss 7 interlorly-threded to receive the end oi a ipe 8. 'lhe interior ci the bowl 1s reachedt rough the medium of en opening in the lower portion thereoi-` closed by s plug 9.

bowl l is an upwardly-extending pipe 10 provided -with a threaded u per end on which is mounted an expansion liesd `-11 of substantially the general shape shown in the drawings und having in its lower end a threaded recess 16 to receive the pipe 10 and provided With an opening 12 to receive the threaded end of a pipe 13. The interior of the exponsion head 11 is preferably provided with a plurality of bit-files lll and 15 fo'r a purpose to be heremafter described. I

Extending from the nteriorof the. expansion hesd ownwardly and communicating With the recess 16 is a threaded opening 17 in which is secured e. tube 18 the lower end of which terminates near the bottom of the bowl 1 ond may project into the recess 6 of the plug 5. A quantity cf mercury constituting a mercury beth 19 is constantly maintained in the bowl 1. The ipe 8 is supposed to leed from a boiler of the 1ct water system end the )ipe 13 to extend to und communicete Wit an expansion tank positioned thereabove.

The operation of the device shown in Fig'. 1 is as follows: Water from the boiler of the system is introduced to the interior of theboivl 1 through the medium of the pipe 8 and as soon as the pressure of the Water in. the bowl 1 becomes sufficiently great it will depress the mercury therein and cause it to ascend through the tube 1S until it eventually reaches the level or the expansion head. As soon ss the mercury has reached the 11pper portions oi the tube 1S a substenti y constentpressure column will be maintained due to t head 11. Fron1 this arrangement it follows I Secured in the-threaded opening 4lof the e relatively large volume of the that the device operates to establish and p maintain a substantially constant pressure in the system suflicient to support a mercury column and if the pressure inthe water system continues to rise beyond the normal point, the mercury will riss upsrardly into the expansion head 5 ani 1f this operatlon 1s continued sufficiently the lower extremity of the tube 18 will ecome uncovered and will be reached by the water in the bowl 1 whichwillthen pass upwardly through the tube 18 following the mercury into t e exansion head 11. In this Way, although a. substantially constant preure in the water svstem is maintained, relief is oriered for excess water forced through the relief device by the increasing pressure. Oi course 1f i l i l Q y 895,436 y this escape of water into the expansion head continues for some time the head will behcome-iilled aid the mercury level proporthe interior of the body of the expansion.

head to prevent the mercury forced upward by the act-ion of the water from Abecoming thrown u wardly and out` through the pipe 2o 13'as wellpasto prevent too violent agitation thereof. As soon as-the pressure of the wa- .wter s stem becomes suliciently reduced the Weig t of the mercury will overcome the pressure of the water and will return through the tube 1S to its original position in the bottom of the ,bowl 1 thereby constantly maintaining a column of mercury opposed to expansion or pressure in the system.

relief-valve consists of the expansion head 20 constructed in the saine manner as the expansion -liead 11 in Fig. 1, with a bowl 21 similar to the bowl 1. Ihis bowl 21 has a plug 22 in its lower end and a boss 23 to rev ceive a pipe 24.

he bowl 21 is provided at its upper end with a threaded opening in 4which is inserted u pipe 25 to the upper end of whichis secured a T 2li from which ext-ends upwardly a threaded pi e 36 secured in a recess in the lower end o the'expansion head 20. A. pipe 27 provided with a vent cock 28 extends laterally from the T 26.

Extending upwardly from the expansion head 20 is a pipe 29 connected with an expension tank 30 from which rises a pipe 31 provided.' with a T 3'?. from which extends an overflow pipe 33 and a vent 34. The exansion head :2O and bowl 21 are connected 5o y a tube 35 for receiving the mercury forced upward by the pressure of the system.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the pipe 27 leads from the' boiler in the hot water system which connects through the pipe 25 with the interior of the howl 21 and the return is made through the pipe 24 to the boiler. Any excess of pressure inthe system will force the .mercury in the bowl 21 upwardly into the expansion .head 2O as has been described with reference to the. device shyVll in Fig. 1 and from thence this water which vfollows the mercury will pass tothe expansion tank 30 and from thence bythe overflow 33.

E5 The operation of the device shown in Fig. 2

is as follows: The vent 28 is first opened to permit water to rise to the level oi the horizental portion of the pipe 27 after which it is closed and the water in the boiler passes into the bowl 21 and returns by means of the pipe 70 24. -If the pressure or excess of water increases sufficiently the niercur contained in the bowl 21 is forced upward y into the expension head ZO in the same manner as has een described with reference to the device 4shown in Fig. 1.

As the operation' of my system depends primarily upon the heivht of the mercury column and not that of the water it is immaterial whether the expansion tanh empio 'ed 30 be placed at a reet elevation or not. t is also iinmateria what is the Iposition of therelief-valve with respect to the water system. It may be located in s. basement or in theupper room or a dwelling as desired. In 'one aspect this relief device may be considered as a mercury seal aflordin means for supporting any ressiire desired, tirough the ,displacement o which, water may escape into the expansion tank.

It will be stated that the relief device may be placed in any position with respect to the water system; that is, at any elevation with In the modification shown in Fig. 2 therespect tothe saine, but of course it should be understood that when the device is in a depressed position with respect to the water system it will necessarily increase ii length so as to support additional pressure arisin from the weifrht of water due to the height o the same in the pi e system. 10d

The presence o the recess 6 in the plug 5 is' employed for the reason that the quant-ity of mercuil around the lower mouth of the tube 18 will he longer maintained by reason of the fact that the mercury in the recess will be the last to be forced upwardly .through the tube 18. This is desirable as it virtually increases the quantity of mercury available foi: the column.

In F i0'. 3 the reference `numeral 40 repre- 110 sente a uildine provided with a central partition wall 41 azlso showiiiir'two coin lete hot Water systems one on eaeli side of t iis wall, the difference between the systems being the difference in position ot the relief valve with respect to the balance of the system.

ln the system shown on the left of the par.- tition wall 41, 42 is the hot water heater from which extends a riser' 43 connected with which are radiators 44 having return pipes 45 120 communicating with a common return 46 and communicating with a bowl 47 of my improved relief-valve and also with -the heater 42.

From the top of my relief-valve extends a pipe 48 on which is mounted an 'expansion pi e-'19 provided with an overflow 50.

Iiirom the foregoing it will be seen that any undue pressure in the system will raise the mereuryeolumn in the relief-valve'a.nd the 13u the heater from which extends a riser 61 con-- necting with radiators 62 and terminating in open communication with the bowl of my improved relief-valve 63. Mounted above the relief-valve 63 is an expansion' tank 64A provided with the usualovertlow 65. The return flow from the radiators is taken care of by means of pipes 66 united into a common return 67.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device of the class described comprising a bowl having a threaded opening in its upper end and containing a quantity of mercury, said bowl further provided with a lateral inlet pipe adapted to connect with the iiuid circulating pipes of a heating system, a

tubular membersecured in the upper end of said bowl, an expansion .head having a threaded recess in its lower portion to receive and'form a Huid-tight joint with said tubular member com rising a supnortiiig medium for said hea said head with a second threaded opening extending from said recess to the interior of said head, and a single tube having a threaded upper n'tber provided end ada ted to be mounted in and form a. Y. A,

fluid-tig t joint with said second threaded opening in said expansion head and extend- I ing downwardly through said tubular member and dippin in said mercury, substantially as describe and for the purpose setigth.

2. A device of the class described corn:- prisinsr an expansion head provided with a threat ed opening in its lower end, a single 40 tube positioned in said opening and forming. a fluid-tight joint therewith, said expansion head furtherprovided with en interiorlythreaded recess surrounding sa'id tube, a. tubular member secured in said recess forming a Huid-tight jointtherewith and inclosin said irst mentioned tube, a bowl'having a threaded opening in its 'upper end to receive A i said tubular member and into which saidiirst threaded tube extends, said bowl containin 50 a iuantity of mercury provided with a latere in et pipe adapted to connect with the fluid circulating pipes of a heating system, substantiallyA as described and for the purpose sct forth. 455 In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED G. CREPS.

Witnesses:

GLENARA Fox,

C. E. IlUMPnRnY. 

